Study Groups

Study Group Leader: Virginia Slep

Session Length: 10 weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Mondays, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Start Date: September 18 / End Date: December 4 (No class on September 25 and October 9)

Enrollment Note: This represents a continuation of the Spring 2023 class, and as such, spots are limited.

Description: In this writing group, the creative talents of the participants will be encouraged by their peers. Members are invited to write in any genre: memoir, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, essay, humor, or play. Handouts will be provided to stimulate writing. Participants are given time to share their writings with classmates if they choose. Sometimes in talking about someone else’s writing, we are able to clarify our own thoughts and abilities. This is a light-hearted, supportive, welcoming group whose members enjoy writing for the fun of it.

Leader: Virginia Slep holds a BA and an MA in English, and taught high school English for 35 years before her retirement. She has been teaching this writing class at LLARC since 2008 and was awarded the 2023 LLARC Bernie Shuster Award for excellence in teaching. She writes a regular column for the North Reading Transcript. Virginia has a PhD in Clinical Hypnosis and has a private practice in Wayland.

Study Group Leader: Mary Nowak

Session Length: Five weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Mondays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Start Date: September 18 / End Date: October 30 (No class on September 25 and October 9)

Description: Throughout our history children were an important source of labor, most often abused, endangered, and exploited. In the Progressive Era, this became a major concern. Leaders seeking to ban child labor were the National Child Labor Committee (hearings and data), Lewis Hine (photographs of the real story), and a host of women including Grace Abbott and Julia Lathrop who worked to implement and administer the government agencies created to regulate and enforce the laws. Recently there have been attempts to weaken these laws. In our last class, we’ll discuss what's going on in individual states and what this means to children, the labor movement, and the nation.

Leader: Mary Nowak has a BA and MA in American history from Boston University. She taught American history and U.S. and world geography in Brookline. She has led several study groups for LLARC on women in the Suffrage Movement, the Labor Movement, the Progressive Movement, the American Civil War, and America’s Internment of Japanese-American citizens during WWII, as well as several variations of the same topics.

Study Group Leader: Mary Nowak

Session Length: Five weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Mondays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Start Date: November 6 / End Date: December 4

Description: Charles Sumner lived in momentous times in our history. He was a Senator representing Massachusetts from 1851-1874. These are just some of the major events of that time: formation of the Republican Party, quarrels over the Western Territories, the fight over Kansas, and the Civil War. Through all of this and more, Sumner was a polarizing figure hated/revered depending on his stand and rhetoric. You may know that he was caned by a colleague on the Senate floor! Join us in our study of his life, work, and importance to our nation then and now.

Leader: Mary Nowak has a BA and MA in American history from Boston University. She taught American history and U.S. and world geography in Brookline. She has led several study groups for LLARC on women in the Suffrage Movement, the Labor Movement, the Progressive Movement, the American Civil War, and America’s Internment of Japanese-American citizens during WWII, as well as several variations of the same topics.

Study Group Leader: Martin Idelson

Session Length: 10 weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Mondays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Start Date: September 18 / End Date: December 4 (No class on September 25 and October 9)

Description: Siddhartha Mukherjee’s book, Song of the Cell, inspired me to present this course. It is in stark contrast to the physical sciences of Scientific Enigmas: biology and medicine.

Beginning with an obscure Dutch cloth merchant, Antoni Van Leeuhenhoek, who, in 1667 turned his primitive microscope from fabrics to a drop of week-old rain water, discovered “animalcules;” we will discuss the myriad of functions and properties of cells in what we call “life.”

Leader: Martin Idelson earned his PhD from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1954. His research career began at Jimmy Fund, Boston followed by 28 years as Director of Dye Chemistry at Polaroid. He taught General Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry at Northeastern University, UMass Boston, and Bentley College as well as science courses at BOLLI and LLARC.

Study Group Leader: William Koehler

Session Length: Five weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Mondays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Start Date: November 6 / End Date: December 4

Description: This course will examine the causes, events, and consequences of the Russian Revolution(s) of 1917. We will analyze this Revolution in light of vital external happenings as well, from the First World War to the onset of the Great Depression.

Leader: William Koehler, Dean of the Sloane School of Business and Communication at Regis College, holds a PhD in Modern European History from Brandeis University and has taught in higher education for over three decades.

Study Group Leader: Karen Mallozzi

Session Length: 10 weeks

Course Format: In-Person, Regis College Fine Arts Center

Day and Time: Mondays, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Start Date: September 18 / End Date: December 4 (No class on September 25 and October 9)

Description: Continuing our exploration of the genre alternating between short story form and regular-length novel, participants will gain a new appreciation for what it takes to make a successful short story, particularly for this type of structure. Reading lists are sent out as soon as possible and note-taking and reading ahead are encouraged. The format is discussion based with possible discussion questions sent out ahead of time. This is a continuation of the spring 2023 study group of the same name but all newcomers are welcome.

Texts: Full-length mysteries: The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill, Iced in Paradise by Naomi Hirashara, Death Under the Dryer by Simon Brett, Night and Day by Robert B. Parker, A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari. Short stories: On Christmas Day in the Morning by Margery Allingham, The Relentless Flow of the Amazon by Jonathan Stone, The Black Bag Left on the Doorstep by Catharine Louisa Pirkis, Twelve Angry Days by Paul Marks, The Hole in the Wall by G.K. Chesterton. Also, short stories are from the following collections: A Surprise for Christmas and Other Seasonal Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine May/June issue 2017, and Crime Hits Home edited by S.J. Rozan.

Leader: Karen has led many LifeLong Learning groups as well as enjoying taking courses. She holds a BA from the University of RI and a Masters in Religious Studies from Andover-Newton. She worked at the Morse Institute Library during its renovation and expansion at the Circulation desk and as administrative assistant to the then, Director. Later Karen worked at a parish in Wayland and in Framingham as Director of Adult Religious Education. Besides being an avid reader, Karen gardens at home and at a Community Garden plot in Natick, enjoys cooking and eating with the Cookbook group at Concord Library, and volunteers for Natick’s Food Pantry and Morse Institute Library.

Study Group Leader: Daniel Seligman

Session Length: 10 weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Mondays, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Start Date: September 18 / End Date: December 4 (No class on September 25 and October 9)

Course Description: The course consists of 10 PowerPoint seminars on the life and times of gunslingers who lived in the American West in the late 19th century. The intent is to present the unvarnished truth as far as it can be ascertained from historical records. Each seminar addresses a western figure in the following order: Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Belle Starr, Black Bart, Butch Cassidy. This course was previously held in fall 2022.

Leader: Daniel Seligman is a retired engineer with a lifelong interest in the American West. He has published a number of articles on western history.

Study Group Leader: Dick Sullivan

Session Length: 10 weeks

Course Format: In-Person, Regis College Fine Arts Center

Day and Time: Tuesdays, 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

Start Date: September 19 / End Date: November 21

Description: This is a course for LLARC members trying to understand the historical foundation of America’s approach to managing immigration and the welcome extended to foreign-born people that walked through the Golden Door in the first two hundred years of operations under the Constitution. We will also explore how Congress created laws and rules for immigrants who applied to enter this country and become citizens. The course will cover: which countries have produced the largest waves of immigrants to the U.S. and why did they come; why Northern Europeans received preference in admission through 1965; what kind of restrictions and regulations applied to the efforts of East Coast and West Coast immigrants to start new lives and careers in a foreign country; who influenced the laws and programs under which immigrants were admitted to the U.S. in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; and what role the Presidential “blue ribbon” commissions and special committees of Senators and Congressmen played in introducing restrictive vs. regulatory reforms to federal policy 1900-1989.

Text: Immigration: An American History by Carl J. Bon Tempo and Hasia R. Diner (Yale Press, 2022.)

Leader: Dick Sullivan’s interest in American immigration history, policies, and practices comes from 20 years of family history research and analysis of families making their way in the United States, despite substantial economic, social, legal, and cultural barriers. He received an AB psychology from the College of the Holy Cross; Masters in Education from Boston College; and Masters in Public Administration from Northeastern University. He taught for 13 years at the Boston University School of Business in the Organizational Behavior Department.

Study Group Leader: Various, TBD

Session Length: 10 weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Start Date: September 19 / End Date: November 21

Description: Are you a person who is interested in world events and likes to have a conversation and exchange ideas about them? If you want to have a place to share your opinions and thoughts about topics in the news, LLARC has a course for you. It’s Current Events! Through a facilitated discussion, classmates express their ideas about recent happenings, while we listen, learn, and understand the basis for others’ opinions. The class discussion is facilitated with guidelines, to enable people to feel comfortable participating. Robust exchanges can happen within this framework. Class members are encouraged to give one short presentation during the semester, about a topic of interest to him/her. Usually, the talks are at the beginning of the class, while at the end of each class, we discuss recent events that have occurred during the previous week, day, or even hour!

Study Group Leader: Jim McLaren

Session Length: 10 weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Tuesdays, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Start Date: September 19 / End Date: November 21

Description: This course will explore each system of the human body from an evolutionary perspective. We will deal with the structure and function of body systems and how they are products of evolutionary history. We will focus as well on how systems are remarkable pieces of engineering that function beautifully most of the time; except when they don’t (i.e., health and disease).

Leader: Jim McLaren is a retired science teacher and department head from Newton South High School. He has co-authored several middle and high school biology textbooks. Since retiring, he has led six different science study groups for LLARC.

Study Group Leader: Ronna Frick

Session Length: 10 weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Tuesdays, 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., with movie viewing the previous Monday evening via Zoom or on one’s own time

Start Date: September 19 / End Date: November 28 (No class on October 17)

Description: In this course, we will examine 10 films that feature great performances by actors and examine them for what makes the performance worthy of being considered great. We will look at what defines good acting, what qualities make for a great actor, and how one differentiates between good, bad, and great acting. Why are so few actors recognized for great comedic roles? Why are so many recognized for roles that are biographical? We will examine these and other questions related to the films in our discussion. Weekly background information and study guides will be sent out before viewing the films. Class members may choose to watch the films together with the class on Zoom the night before the discussion (Mondays at 7 p.m.) or view the films independently and join us just for the discussion on Zoom on Tuesdays at 1 p.m.

The actors and movies we will view and discuss are: Marlon Brando and Al Pacino in The Godfather (1972); Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975); Robert De Niro in Raging Bull (1980); Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man (1988); Anthony Hopkins in The Remains of the Day (1993); Tom Hanks in Philadelphia (1993); Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote (2005); Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland (2006); Daniel Day Lewis in Lincoln (2012); and Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour (2017).

Films are subject to change.

Leader: Ronna Frick has led literature and film-related discussion groups at LLARC since 2010 and is a former recipient of the LLARC Bernie Shuster Award for teaching excellence. Prior to LLARC she taught high school English for over 40 years and served nine years as English department chair at Wellesley High School. She thoroughly enjoys teaching at LLARC and looks forward to another meaningful and fun experience with other lifelong learners.

Study Group Leader: Pam Kyrka

Session Length: Five weeks

Course Format: In-Person, Regis College Fine Arts Center

Day and Time: Wednesdays, 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

Start Date: September 20 / End Date: October 18

Description: “Pomegranate means grenade” so says poet Jamaal May, the author of the poem of the same name. While poetry can be soothing, relaxing, and perhaps an escape from the real world, this is not always the case. In fact, the poetry we will be reading and discussing could be considered seditious. The poets have strong viewpoints, and their poems may contain powerful, and in some cases, disturbing images. But poetry, as does other literature, helps us to think more deeply and move us in ways we perhaps did not expect. Selections will be provided by the study group leader. Inaugural poets will also be featured. This study group builds on the fall 2022 session, but all newcomers are welcomed!

Leader: Pam Kyrka is a retired English teacher who also writes children’s literature, including picture books and one middle grade and one young adult novel. She is presently working on her third novel. Having taught poetry for years, she recognizes the power it holds and the thoughts it provokes. She has also led a short story study group at LLARC for several years.

Study Group Leader: Jack Miller

Session Length: Five weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Wednesdays, 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

Start Date: September 20 / End Date: October 18

Description: The 1920s were a time of economic progress for most Americans. However, the crash of ’29 was compounded by the underlying economic weaknesses of the preceding decade. We will discuss how the US crash triggered the European crisis, and how such connections shaped our lives, societies, and political systems.

Leader: Jack Miller is a retired engineer with teaching experience in engineering, mathematics, business, and LLARC history classes.

Study Group Leader: Margaret Mukherjee

Session Length: 10 weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Wednesdays, 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

Start Date: September 20 / End Date: November 29 (No class November 22)

Description: How do you view graffiti? And street art? In our 10-week course we will explore how these art forms have evolved over the last 50 years, here and internationally. We will note artists, known and unknown, whose work has contributed to very new ways of self-expression. The course will be linked to a website to provide background readings and short videos in preparation for each session which will be built around slide presentations and discussion. Participants will also be invited to share images of graffiti and street art in their own communities to enrich our learning about these art forms.

Leader: Margaret Mukherjee has had a long career in higher education. She holds a BS from Cornell University in human ecology, an MA degree in textiles, clothing, and related arts from Michigan State University and a PhD in urban planning and policy development from Rutgers University. She led a mini-version of this course for the most recent LLARC winter session, and has led lifelong learning courses for other organizations.

Study Group Leader: Frank Villa

Session Length: 10 weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Start Date: September 20 / End Date: November 29 (No class November 22)

Description: Discoveries and exploits in science fill the news. They enthrall the imagination but can lead to bewildering questions about how they work and what they mean for our future. We’ll tackle a variety of topics of current interest, from genetic engineering to the effects of a strong El Nino on changing weather patterns, and an update on Artificial Intelligence (AI). We’ll shed light on issues of science and technology important to our understanding of the modern world. Join us as we discuss the most up-to-date science in a clear, concise manner that is both thought-provoking and fun.

Leader: Frank Villa has a lifelong interest in the natural sciences. He is a natural teacher who finds great joy in explaining complex principles and processes and bringing the latest quests and discoveries of science to a general audience. He has developed curricula and taught courses in many settings on topics as diverse as the formation of the universe, alternative energy sources, and human genetics.

Study Group Leader: Dorothy Miller

Session Length: 10 weeks

Course Format: In-Person, Regis College Fine Arts Center

Day and Time: Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Start Date: September 20 / End Date: November 29 (No class November 22)

Description: This study group will examine the classic definition of the tragic hero in drama and explore how it applies to two Greek plays by Sophocles, “Oedipus Rex” and “Antigone,” which we will read and discuss. Then we will look at Arthur Miller’s changed definition of the modern tragic hero as we read “Death of a Salesman.”

Texts: Please obtain a copy of Sophocles I, the University of Chicago edition, and the Penguin edition of Death of a Salesman. Reading assignments will be sent out prior to the first class.

Leader: Dorothy Miller taught in the English Department at Boston College for 40 years, teaching both writing and literature. She specializes in multicultural literature. She holds a BA from Brown University and MA from Boston College. This is her third course for LLARC.

Study Group Leader: Steve Kendall

Session Length: Eight weeks

Course Format: In-Person, Regis College Fine Arts Center

Day and Time: Wednesdays, 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Start Date: October 11 / End Date: December 6 (No class November 22)

Description: From the Belle Epoch to today, great posters have moved us to act—whether it’s to take a vacation in Italy, see Gone with the Wind, or call for the end of the Vietnam War. In this course, you’ll learn how the power of the poster begins with great art, sometimes even created by great fine artists like Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Roy Lichtenstein, Henri Matisse, and Richard Lindner. You’ll see how legendary graphic designers combine that art with smart advertising concepts to motivate us—to buy war bonds, vote for a candidate, attend a concert, or adopt a different point of view. And, how these designers are inspired by art movements like Art Nouveau, Futurism, Art Deco, and Minimalism. Join us for an eight-week feast for your eyes and your mind.

Leader: Steve Kendall has taught art history-related courses for LLARC for the past 19 terms, and is a former recipient of the LLARC Bernie Shuster Award for teaching excellence. He has been a tour guide at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum for 12 years, and prior to retirement was the president of an advertising and public relations agency.

Study Group Leader: Joe Tennyson

Session Length: Five weeks

Course Format: Zoom

Day and Time: Wednesdays, 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Start Date: September 20 / End Date: October 18

Description: Even as Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications help mankind combat climate change, improve the quality of human life by spearheading advances in medicine, and save lives by timely and accurate early detection of natural disasters, major figures in the field warn that AI advancement represents an existential threat to humanity and advocate a global slowdown in AI development along with the need for more stringent controls of the technology. In this course we trace the history of major AI milestones with particular emphasis on the technologies that underlie ChatGPT and Google’s LaMDA and why the evolution of Large Language Models changed the rules of the game and incited the rash of warnings about AI that we see in the news every day.

Leader: Joe Tennyson worked in the Information Technology field as a software developer, network engineer, and senior manager for 40 years before retiring in 2020. He developed an ongoing interest in Artificial Intelligence in the early 1980s and has followed developments in the field as they unfolded since that time. Joe holds a BA in Communication Theory and Methodology from Emerson College and an MBA from Boston College with a concentration in Operations Research.

Study Group Leader: Bernie Shuster

Session Length: 10 weeks

Course Format: In-Person, Regis College Fine Arts Center

Day and Time: Thursdays, 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

Start Date: September 21 / End Date: November 30 (No class November 23)

Description: There are consequences to what these contests meant to the victims and the defendants. American jurisprudence is unique in its legal trial system. The distinct functions given to the judge and the jury and the presumptions of innocence are peculiar to our system. Should the trial be a contest where both sides seek victory at any cost, or is justice the ultimate goal? Can jurors be isolated from public pressure or prejudice? There are many issues beyond guilt or innocence.

Leader: Bernard Shuster earned a BA in History at UMASS Amherst and an LLD at Boston University School of Law. He practiced law for several years as a partner in a Boston Law firm. He founded and served as COO at a financial services firm. Bernie has led over 50 courses at LLARC and HILR.

Study Group Leader: Steve Kendall

Session Length: Eight weeks

Course Format: In-Person, Regis College Fine Arts Center

Day and Time: Thursdays, 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Start Date: October 12 / End Date: December 7 (No class November 23)

Description: From the Belle Epoch to today, great posters have moved us to act—whether it’s to take a vacation in Italy, see Gone with the Wind, or call for the end of the Vietnam War. In this course, you’ll learn how the power of the poster begins with great art, sometimes even created by great fine artists like Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Roy Lichtenstein, Henri Matisse, and Richard Lindner. You’ll see how legendary graphic designers combine that art with smart advertising concepts to motivate us—to buy war bonds, vote for a candidate, attend a concert, or adopt a different point of view. And, how these designers are inspired by art movements like Art Nouveau, Futurism, Art Deco, and Minimalism. Join us for an eight-week feast for your eyes and your mind.

Leader: Steve Kendall has taught art history-related courses for LLARC for the past 19 terms, and is a former recipient of the LLARC Bernie Shuster Award for teaching excellence. He has been a tour guide at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum for 12 years, and prior to retirement was the president of an advertising and public relations agency.